Ski box attachment

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is provided for attaching a ski-box to a roof-rack. The apparatus includes at least one longitudinal adjustment rail which is attached to the bottom of the ski-box. The rail includes at least one load carrier clamp which is displaceable along the longitudinal adjustment rail to secure the longitudinal adjustment rail and ski-box attached thereto to a load carrier member of roof-rack.

The present invention relates to a device for attaching a ski-box to aroof-rack.

Prior Art roof-racks or luggage rails include those of the typecomprising two separate racks that are positioned on the roof of thevehicle at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction ofthe vehicle are used, for supporting a load, such as a transport orski-box, on the roof of a vehicle. Each such rack consists of two feetor supports for attachment to the respective side of the vehicle roofand a load carrying bar, preferably of square tube, which connects thesupports and on which the load is intended to be supported. The problemsin connection with attaching ski-boxes to a roof-rack structure of thiskind are that the positioning of the separate load carrying bars variesfrom vehicle to vehicle, and that it must likewise be possible to varythe positioning of the ski-box on the roof-rack from one vehicle toanother, for instance in order to make sure that the boot lid of thevehicle may be opened without interfering with the ski-box. In otherwords, when attaching the ski-box it must be possible to arrange theparts of the roof-rack structure at different mutual distances and alsoto adjust the position of the ski-box forwardly or rearwardly inrelation to the roof-rack structure.

Conventionally this problem has been solved by providing transversechannels in the bottom or underside of the ski-boxes. The load carrierbars of the roof-rack structure have been positioned in said channels,whereby the channels have been provided with such a width, i.e. in thelongitudinal direction of the vehicle with the ski-box attached, thatthe combination of the load carrier bars and channels facilitate theadjustment of the position of the ski-box in relation to the roof-rackstructure. However, this solution has several disadvantages. First ofall the transverse channels are in themselves indications of fracturereducing the strength of the ski-box, and moreover the transversechannels give the underside of the ski-box an unsuitable shape causingturbulence and thus increased air-resistance. Moreover these channels doonly allow for a limited adjustment determined by the width of thechannels. In order to increase the possibility of adjustment severalalternative, transverse channels have in some cases been provided, butthis also means that the underside of the ski-box is given an even moreunsuitable shape.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an apparatusfor attaching a ski-box to a roof-rack, permitting alternativepositioning of the load carrier rods of the roof-rack and adjustment ofthe position of the ski-box in the longitudinal direction as well as inthe transverse direction, while at the same time eliminating the abovediscussed disadvantages of the prior art solutions.

Said object is achieved by means of an apparatus of the kind describedherein.

Preferred further developments of the apparatus according to theinvention are also described herein.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described more closelybelow, in connection with the enclosed drawings, on which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the apparatus according to the invention in aperspective view from above and attached to a schematically illustratedski-box,

FIG. 2 illustrates the apparatus according to the invention in aperspective view from below, attached to a ski-box which is merelyindicated,

FIG. 3 illustrates an end view of a ski-box attached to a schematicallyindicated load carrier by means of the apparatus according to theinvention,

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a longitudinal adjustment rail withmounted load carrier clamp, before tightening the mounting bolt, and

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section along line A--A of FIG. 4.

As is clear from especially FIGS. 1 and 2 the apparatus according to theinvention basically consists of a longitudinal adjustment rail 1 whichis attached to the bottom or underside of a ski-box 10 for instance bymeans of rivets 12 and preferably in a longitudinal channel 11 formed inthe bottom or underside of the ski-box. In the illustrated embodimenttwo parallel longitudinal adjustment rails 1 are employed which areprovided in their own longitudinal channel 11, but it is also possiblewithin the scope of the invention to employ only one longitudinaladjustment rail 1 for very narrow ski-boxes.

FIGS. 1 and 2 also illustrate that in the preferred embodiment thelongitudinal adjustment rail 1 consists of two rail portions 2 and 3which are aligned one after the other in the channel 11, at a smalldistance from each other. The purpose of this is to prevent tensioncaused by movements in the plastic material of the ski-box.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and especially to FIG. 5 it is apparentthat the rail portions 2 and 3 consist of square steels at one sidethereof being provided with a longitudinal groove 4 which in theillustrated embodiment extends along the full length of the railportions 2 and 3. This embodiment having a continuous, open ended groove4 permits a specifically simple mounting of the load carrier clamps5--will be described more closely below--since these together with theirfastening devices 8 and 13 may be pushed in from one end of the railportions 2 and 3. However, it is also quite conceivable within the scopeof the invention to provide the grooves along a limited portion of theside of the rail portions facing downwardly in the mounted condition.However, in such a case special fastening devices will have to be usedfor fastening the clamp 5, for instance nuts having a shapecorresponding to the inner dimensions of the rail portions 2 and 3, saidnuts being inserted into the rail portions 2 and 3 from their outer endsbefore the mounting of the clamps.

With specific reference to FIG. 2 it is clear that the apparatusaccording to the invention also comprises mounting clamps 5 for mountingthe ski-box 10 to load carrier members 9 of a roof-rack which is notillustrated in detail. More specifically such a mounting clamp 5 isemployed at each rail portion 2 and 3 of the respective longitudinaladjustment rail 1. FIGS. 4 and 5 specifically illustrate that each clamp5 consists of a U-shaped portion 6 for receiving the load carrier 9 andtwo mounting flanges 7 extending outwardly at a right angle from thefree end of the respective leg of the U-shape 6. In the respectivemounting flange 7 a bore 14 is provided for receiving a mounting bolt 8which is inserted through the bore 14 and through the groove 4 of therail portions 2 and 3 and into engagement with a nut 13 displaceablyprovided within the rail portions.

Regarding the dimensioning of the mounting clamp 5 it is essential forachieving a firm attachment to the load carrier 9 that the internaldepth d of the U-shaped portion 6 of the clamp 5 is slightly smallerthan the external height h of the load carrier 9, such that the loadcarrier 9 is firmly clamped between the mounting clamp 5 and therespective rail portion 2 and 3 when the mounting bolt 8 is tightened.

In view of what has been described above it is now obvious that theclamps 5 are mounted in the respective rail portion 2 and 3 by insertingthe bolts 8 through the bores 14 of the mounting flanges 7 and bybringing them into a slight engagement with the nuts 13, whereupon theclamps are pushed onto the respective longitudinal adjustment rail 1from the free end of the respective rail portion 2 and 3, with the nuts13 positioned within the rails and with the shafts of the bolts 8 guidedin the grooves 4 of the rails. In this condition, illustrated in FIG. 4,with the bolts 8 only in slight or loose engagement with the nuts 13 theclamps 5 are displaceably supported in the rails 1 and the load carriers9 of the roof-rack are displaceably supported in the U-shaped portion 6of the clamps 5. With the roof-rack attached to the vehicle it is nowpossible to adjust the ski-box on the one hand in the direction of thearrows C of FIG. 1, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle,by displacing the clamps 5 relative to the rails and, on the other hand,in the direction of the arrows B of FIG. 1, i.e. in the transversedirection of the vehicle, due to the fact that the clamps 5 may bedisplaced relative to the load carrier members 9. When the ski-box 10has been adjusted to the desired position on the roof of the vehicle,the bolts 8 are tightened such that the clamps 5 on the one hand arefixed relative to the rail portions 2 and 3 and, on the other hand, arefixed relative to the load carriers 9, due to the fact that these, asmentioned above, are clamped between the U-shaped portion 6 of theclamps 5 and the respective rail portion 2 and 3.

It is evident in view of the above that by means of the apparatusaccording to the invention a very favourable attachment of the ski-boxto a roof-rack is achieved, since the ski-box may be positionedoptionally on the roof-rack and thus on the roof of the vehicle, andthis independently of the distance between the load carriers of theroof-rack. Accordingly this attachment device is universely applicablefor all possible roof-rack positions within reasonable limits. Moreover,the attachment device according to the invention provides the advantageof making the transverse channels, common on conventional ski-boxes,quite superfluous so that the ski-boxes may be given a suitable shape asfar as their strength and reduced air-resistance are concerned. Thelongitudinal channels employed for receiving the longitudinal adjustmentrails do in fact, contrary to the transverse channels, not cause anyserious indications of fracture but do instead stiffen the box, andmoreover they do not have any negative influence on the air-resistance.

Although the invention has been described above with specific referenceto an advantageous embodiment thereof it should be obvious that theinvention also comprises modifications and variations thereof which areobvious to a man skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention shall onlybe delimited by the enclosed patent claims.

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for attaching a ski-box (10) to a roof-rack,having at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1) for attachment tothe bottom of a ski-box (10), in a longitudinal direction of theski-box, and having at least one load carrier clamp (5) beingdisplaceable longitudinally along the at least one longitudinaladjustment rail and being securable thereto for adjustably and securablyreceiving a load carrier member (9) of a roof-rack, said at least onelongitudinal adjustment rail (1) being provided with a longitudinalgroove (4) in which the at least one load carrier clamp (5) isdisplaceably guided and the at least one load carrier clamp (5) beingformed of a U-shaped portion (6) for receiving the load carrier member(9) of the roof-rack and two mounting flanges (7) extended at a rightangle outwardly from an end of a respective leg of the U-shaped portion(6), wherein at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1) is providedwith two displaceable and securable load carrier clamps (5) foradjustably and securably receiving front and rear load carrier members(9) respectively of the roof-rack, in that the load carrier clamps (5)are attached to the at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1) bymeans of bolts (8) received in bores (14) of the mounting flanges (7)and extended into the longitudinal groove (4) of the at least onelongitudinal adjustment rail (1) and engaged by nuts (13) displaceablyprovided within the at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1), andin that internal depth (d) of the U-shaped portion (6) of the loadcarrier clamp (5) is smaller than external height (h) of the loadcarrier member (9), whereby a tightening of the bolts (8) of therespective load carrier clamp (5) causes on the one hand a clamping ofthe load carrier clamp (5) against the at least one longitudinaladjustment rail (1) and, on the other hand, a clamping of the loadcarrying member (9) between the load carrier clamp (5) and the at leastone longitudinal adjustment rail (1).
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1) consists oftwo separate, aligned rail portions (2, 3) of which each supports oneload carrier clamp (5).
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theat least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1) is formed of a square tubeof which one side is intended for abutting the underside of the ski-box(10), whereby the opposite side of the square tube is provided with thelongitudinal groove (4) in which the load carrier clamps aredisplaceably guided.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, whereinlongitudinal groove (4) extends along the full length of the at leastone longitudinal adjustment rail (1).
 5. Apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the rail portions (2, 3) respectively are formed of a squaretube of which one side is intended for abutting the underside of theski-box (10), whereby the opposite side of the square tube is providedwith the longitudinal groove (4) in which the load carrier clamps aredisplaceably guided.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein thelongitudinal groove (4) extends along the full length of the railportions (2, 3).
 7. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein thelongitudinal groove (4) extends along a limited portion of the length ofthe at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1).
 8. Apparatusaccording to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal groove (4) extends alonga limited portion of a length of the rail portions (2, 3).
 9. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the at least one longitudinal adjustmentrail includes two longitudinal adjustment rails (1).
 10. Apparatusaccording to claim 9 wherein each of the two longitudinal adjustmentrails (1) comprises two separate, aligned rail portions (2, 3) of whicheach supports one load carrier clamp (5).
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 9 wherein each of the two longitudinal adjustment rails (1) isformed of a square tube of which one side is intended for abutting theunderside of the ski-box (10), whereby the opposite side of the squaretube is provided with the longitudinal groove (4) in which the loadcarrier clamps are displaceably guided.
 12. Apparatus according to claim11 wherein the longitudinal groove (4) extends along the full length ofthe at least one longitudinal adjustment rail (1).
 13. Apparatusaccording to claim 11 wherein the longitudinal groove (4) extends alonga limited portion of the length of the at least one longitudinaladjustment rail (1).
 14. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein each ofthe rail portions (2, 3) respectively are formed of a square tube ofwhich one side is intended for abutting the underside of the ski-box(10), whereby the opposite side of the square tube is provided with thelongitudinal groove (4) in which the load carrier clamps aredisplaceably guided.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein thelongitudinal groove (4) extends along the full length of each of therail portions (2, 3).
 16. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein thelongitudinal groove (4) extends along a limited portion of the length ofeach of the rail portions (2, 3).